ORLANDO, Fla. – Have you ever heard of the saying, “Red sky at night, sailors’ delight. red sky at morning, sailors take warning?”
Well if you haven’t heard of this familiar saying, the phrase is over 2,000 years old and comes from the New Testament, specifically the book of Matthew in the Bible.
Although there are different versions of this saying around the world, like “Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning,” the scientific explanation for these phenomena is the same.
Many enjoyed the beautiful sunsets and sunrises ahead of Tropical Storm Helene, which is expected to become a major Category 3 hurricane before impacting Florida on Thursday.
Before and after tropical systems, we tend to see gorgeous and vibrant sunrises and sunsets.
A red sky suggests that the air contains dust and moisture. We see red because the longer red wavelengths make it through, while shorter wavelengths, like blue, are scattered.
At sunrise and sunset, the sun is low in the sky and shines through the bulkiest part of the atmosphere.
A bright red sunset usually indicates that high pressure is coming from the west, so the next day is usually quiet.
In contrast, “red sky at morning, sailor’s warning” means that the high pressure has moved east, indicating that the good weather is leaving and a storm most likely is approaching.
If you’d like to share your own pictures or videos, head to News 6′s PinIt! page and click “Upload a Pin.” Then, tell us a little about what kind of weather you’re seeing and drop a pin to let us know where you saw it.
Allison McGinley
A beautiful sunrise this AM, but I can’t help but think of the old sailor adage about red skies in the morning.
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